


Preparations

by Elalavella, TK_DuVeraun



Series: Power Couple AU [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Pining, Romance, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 20:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14316123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elalavella/pseuds/Elalavella, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TK_DuVeraun/pseuds/TK_DuVeraun
Summary: Elashorei Lavellan and Fox Sa'alle are part of the Inquisitor's Inner Circle. They started from such different places, but now want to end up in the same one. A shame they're idiots when it comes to love.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> These are short bits originally posted on tumblr for our Power Couple AU. They're included here for completeness and organization with the rest of the Power Couple AU stuff. It will be marked as finished after the first three sections, but additional parts may be added if short pieces appear that don't warrant their own work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By TK

Haven was full of pilgrims. The problem was that pilgrim, for shemlens, meant horrible person who’d been told their sins would be forgiven if they visited the temple that once held Andraste’s ashes. Ela had always prided herself on treating shems without prejudice and listening to what they said without bias, but the so-called Herald of Andraste would be one warrior shorter if no one instituted some kind of law.

A man with lanky, greasy hair and clothes that were more dirt than cloth leered at her. “Another knife-ear. At least we can make use of this one.” He thrust out his hips disgustingly and grabbed for Ela’s wrist.

Ela was still weighing the merits of relieving the human of his hand when a tall, red-haired shem came up from behind him and hit him solidly in the back of the head. The disgusting man collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

The red-haired human shook out his knuckles, his glove glowing white for a moment as he used magic to undoubtedly heal himself. “Pardon me. I’m sure you’re more than capable of dealing with him yourself, but the sound of his voice annoyed me.”

Ela lifted both eyebrows. The human didn’t have the look of a Tevinter, but his accent was telling, if his casual use of magic around Chantry folk wasn’t enough. She asked him, “And who are you supposed to be?”

“Fox, as it goes. I take it you’re another one of ‘the Herald’s’ recruits?”

Ela stepped over the unconscious shem and on towards the Chantry building. She glanced at the mage. “How could you tell?” She asked, sarcasm dripping off of every word.

“Well, he seems to be collecting all of us pretty ones, isn’t he?”

She glanced at him and laughed. “You can call me Ela.”

“Oh, can I?”


	2. Oh No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By Varg (Elalavella)

Fox was attractive, yes. Not that it meant much, Ela found many people attractive. Cassandra, Cullen, Josephine, Vivienne… There were probably more. All victims of her wry smiles and flirty remarks, so really, Fox wasn’t different from any of the others. Except he was, a little. Cassandra ignored it, Cullen blushed and changed the subject, Josephine smiled politely, Vivienne shot her down without fault, but Fox reciprocated. Every time. And he’d flirt unprompted with her as well, letting her know if she ever needed help getting out of her armour, ever needed a warmer bed, he’d be happy to help. It was fun; it was long since she had spoken that way with anyone. But fun was all it was, of course.

Fox was fascinating. Once Dorian arrived she realised it was partly a Tevinter thing. Partly. He had a fascinating view on life, a fascinating cause and a fascinating face, which she somehow had trouble looking away from. She also couldn’t help thinking his reaction to the whole Templar thing was fascinating. So many people had known about the two of them sleeping together, yet he didn’t bat an eye except for at the inconvenience. At least, for her, it was a good confirmation the flirting was just for amusement, since he apparently preferred men.

Fox was handsome, she’d admit that much. He was handsome in his armour, and in the loose cotton shirt he’d wear while sitting by the fire, laughing and listening to some new tale Varric had to tell. He was handsome with his hair braided, and with it in a bun or ponytail, but perhaps it was best when it was all let down. Perhaps she liked it the most when it was thrown over a shoulder to hang down over his chest, when he brushed stray strands from his face. She probably thought of his hair too much.

Fox was pretty. There was no denying it. He had pretty eyes that matched the sky on a clear day, a pretty face with sharp features and slight dimples when he smirked. He had faint freckles on his cheeks that grew more noticeable when the sun stayed longer in the evenings, and eventually they’d show up on his forehead. There was a possibility she was the only one who had noticed the change, she’d been caught staring more than once. But with his bright smile, blue eyes and long auburn hair, she really couldn’t help herself. He was just very pretty.

Fox was lovely. Lovely when he spoke to her, when he’d brush his hand against hers. Lovely when he held Tanithil in his arms, scratching the black fur behind his ear and giving him small adoring pecks on his forehead. Tanithil seemed to enjoy it too; his purring was rarely so loud around other people.

Fox was… there. On her mind.

All the time.

 _Oh no_.


	3. Frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By TK

Fox wasn’t in the habit of complaining about his life. As far as material items went, he wanted for naught. Even if he had been a bastard, he was a powerful mage and that’s all that mattered in Tevinter. His lamps weren’t decorations; they were warnings. Symbols of his power and the Lightning barely contained under his skin. He’d be offered three drinks on a hot day before he ever began to sweat.

The blade on his staff wasn’t meant to be a reminder of how little kept him from blood magic, but the way the soporati flinched and cringed away from the sight of it said enough. He’d tried telling people that the blade was for stabbing, like it was a spear. That hadn’t reassured anyone. By the time he joined the Inquisition, he was long past explaining himself. For as much as they feared magic, the Southerners didn’t bend over backwards to meet his needs.

Which was fine. It was better, in most cases, since Fox didn’t want to have to spend all day politely turning down offers of the disgusting fare the Fereldans in particular considered food. But there was a wrinkle. A little inconvenience in the middle of the war of templars and mages. Hardly worth mentioning, when he had the orphans to consider.

But there she was, staring at him from across the fire. Ela absentmindedly stroked her cat’s head while making doe eyes at Fox and he just had no idea what he was supposed to do. Oh the flirting had started out in good fun, he’d had that templar for a bit, but then the other man had thrown a tantrum and shattered one of Fox’s lamps, as if he couldn’t make a new one, and now things were significantly different with Ela.

She took his lamp everywhere she went, even hanging it from a delicate hook when she was settled in the garden inside Skyhold where there were plenty of torches. Ela was always looking at him and never content to simply walk ahead of him. She’d always take hold of his wrist, as if he couldn’t walk over roots and through underbrush as well as she could - and he couldn’t, but the hand-holding made it more difficult, not less and surely she knew that. Surely it was an excuse.

When she’d fled his first attempt to kiss her, he’d assumed it was a desire for privacy, which was fine. The Inquisition had its share of crude men who had made their opinion of her appearance clear. He could understand her reticence to let something so intimate be seen, but when he got her alone, she would make an excuse and run away.

He’d been set to give up on the entire thing, but Cassandra assured him that he wasn’t imagining the way Ela stared at him.

So he was at a loss. Oh, he had all the power of the Fade in his hands and years of the best education Tevinter could provide, but there was nothing he could do to make any headway with the lovely warrior. They seemed destined to stare wistfully across the campfire at night after trading hot, provocative comments all day.

Tanithil butted his head against the back of Fox’s hand, shaking him out of his thoughts. Fox scritched the cat behind the ears and made space in his lap. “Well, you’re not afraid to let everyone know who you like, are you?”

The animal only purred in response.


End file.
